Day 69. The half-way point

Fedor on the satphone: “Today I crossed the 140th degree of the western longitude. Reaching this important way point means that I’m now closer to Australia than to Chile. I can begin my countdown. My next important event will be leaving the Western Hemisphere and entering into the Eastern Hemisphere. This way point is located at the 180-degree meridian.

The Pacific Ocean has changed quite a bit. There are no more large high seas, no swells. The conditions remind me of the Caribbean sea. The sea-surface is pretty smooth, with some wind waves. Each day the wind is turning more from the north. According to the weather report, in a couple of days the wind will be straight from the north. To keep the course as westerly as possible I’m rowing hard with my left oar, but even so, the boat is being pushed south. For now, moving south is acceptable since the northerly wind is no more than 10 knots. The temperature of the air raises to 30C, and during the day my aft cabin turns into a sauna. The relief comes at night. It’s wonderful spending nights on the deck. I remove the rowing seat and sleep in the open air. There are no waves that would spray me. The deck remains dry. The milliards of stars are above me. The boat quietly slides on the ocean. So far, the French Polynesia has been a very nice and welcoming host to me. The only bad thought that is always on the back of my mind is tropical storms. There is a tropical cyclone Kofi raging in 30 degrees away from me (1800 miles). Its speed is 65mph. According to the meteorologist reports, Kofi’s will be moving in south-east direction, towards Antarctica. It’s a relief to know that this cyclone doesn’t pose any real danger.

Up until the 180th degree of western longitude I will be rowing in the zone of tropical storms and cyclones. With God’s help I’m hoping to row safely across the second half of the Pacific Ocean.”